Door hinge system



Dec. 28, 1965 J. FOUNTAIN DOOR HINGE SYSTEM Filed Aug. 1, 1962 JAMES L. FOUNTAIN INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,225,381 DOOR HHNGE SYSTEM .lames L. Fountain, 8911 Westglen Drive, Dallas, Tex. Filed Aug. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 214,042 3 Claims. (Cl. 16-132) The invention relates to hinges and hinge systems and more particularly to adjustable hinges and hinge systems.

It is oftentimes desirable and sometimes necessary to adjust the relative position of a door to its frame. This is particularly important where the door is of considerable size and Weight. It is, usually, not feasible to alter the structure of the door in any practical manner and, consequently, adjustment by means of the hinge is the most advantageous and satisfactory method. Hinges in the prior art are purported to be suitable for such purposes. However, they have not proved to be entirely satisfactory for many reasons, among which is the fact that they are expensive to make or are too complicated to be practical.

In contrast to such systems, the present invention relates to adjustable door hinges and a hinge system incorporating hinges which are simple and inexpensive to make, easy to adjust and which obviate inadequacies found in the prior art devices.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved adjustable door hinge and hinge system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a simpler adjustable hinge system having fewer parts and at a minimum of cost.

More particularly, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided an upper and a lower hinge assembly. The lower hinge includes a block having a thrust bearing mounted in a plate which is attachable to the floor or the threshold.

The hinge system of the present invention supports a door in a frame and includes a support structure adapted to be mounted independently of the door adjacent to the lower end thereof with an upfacing thrust bearing therein. Structure mounted on the door above the support structure has a threaded recess therein axially aligned with the thrust hearing. A pin is threadedly mounted in the recess and has a lower surface mating with the thrust hearing. The pin is exposed below the recess and above the thrust bearing for engagement therewith to vary the elevation of the door upon rotation of the pin. Means are provided for locking the pin at a selected level in the recess. Guide structure mounted adjacent the top of the door has a cylindrical bearing positioned axially above the thrust bearing. A guide support structure includes a shaft for engaging the cylindrical bearing and is slidably mounted adjacent the top of the door for adjusting the position of the pin in the cylindrical bearing. One guide structure and the guide support structure is secured to the door and the other to the frame.

A pintle block is mounted on the face of the bottom door rail directly above the thrust bearing so that an adjustable pintle extending from the block engages the bearing. The pintle may be suitably locked in any position by a set screw. The upper hinge includes a mortise block which is secured to the lintel of the door frame above the upper edge of the door with a tenon slidably positioned therein. A bearing or gudgeon block is mounted on the top door rail directly below the mortise block and has a hearing or gudgeon therein which is axially aligned with the thrust bearing of the lower hinge. The tenon is slidable in the mortise block and carries a pintle which works in the gudgeon block.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and for further objects and advantages thereof, reference may now be had to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a hinge system constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational View, partly in section, of the upper hinge;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the upper hinge;

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the lower hinge; and

FIGURE 5 is a top view of the lower hinge.

Referring now to FIGURES 1, 2, and 3, the upper hinge arrangement 11 includes a mortise block 13, a tenon block 15 and a hearing or gudgeon block 17.

The mortise block 13 has generally a rectangular form with a pair of front and rear parallel faces 19, 21, respectively. The longitudinal side faces 23, 25 taper generally toward the front face 19. The top 27 tapers generally downward while the bottom 29 is square cut. A dovetail groove or mortise 31 extends longitudinally in the front surface 19 and a rectangular groove 33 extends longitudinally in the rear surface 21. A plurality of holes, preferably countersunk, are provided in the block along the axis of the mortise to receive suitable fasteners.

The tenon block 15 has a generally rectangular form with a pair of parallel front and rear faces 37, 39, respectively. The longitudinal side faces 41, 43 taper generally toward the front face 37, at the same slope as the side faces 23, 25. The top 45 tapers downward at the same slope as the surface 27, while the bottom 47 is square cut. The side faces 41, 43 merge with the front face 37 in an arcuate form of any convenient radius. The rear face 39 is disposed to slide along the surface 19 and is provided with a tenon 49 which matches and cooper ates with the mortise 31 in the mortise block 13. A threaded hole 51 is provided in the side face 25 and extends inward toward the mortise 31. In hole 51 and a similar hole on face 23 there are retainer screws which engage the sides of the tenon 49 to secure it with respect to the mortise 31.

The tenon block 15 is provided with a pin cavity 55 and a pin 57 therein, having an axis disposed generally parallel to the axis of the tenon 49. The pin 57 is disposed to extend outwardly from the square cut end 47 to form a pintle.

The bearing or gudgeon block 17 has a generally rectangular form with parallel front and rear faces 59, 61, respectively. The front faces 37, 59 are disposed in a common plane, while the rear surface at, while substantially parallel to the surface 21, is spaced therefrom a slight distance. The top surface 63 is square cut with respect to the front and rear surfaces 59, 61 while the bottom surface 65 tapers upward at any convenient and suitable angle. The side faces 67, 65 of the gudgeon block 17 lie substantially in a plane common to the side faces 41, 43 of the tenon block. There is provided in the gudgeon block 17 a cavity 71 in which .there is a bearing bushing 73, having an axis aligned with the pintle 57. The pintle is receivable and rotatable in the bearing bushing 73. A plurality of threaded holes 75 are provided in the rear surface to receive fasteners of any suitable type.

The lower hinge arrangement 77 is shown generally in FIGURES 1, 4, and 5. It includes a pintle block 79 and a bearing or gudgeon block 81. The pintle block 79 has a generally rectangular shape similar to the gudgeon block 17 except that it is inverted. In the square cut end 83 is a threaded cavity in which there is adjustable pintle 35. The pintle 85 is provided with a head portion 87 which is preferably cylindrical and has a plurality of passages 89 therethrough. The head portion 87 is provided, also, with an extension 91 of smaller diameter which has sides curved to mate with a curved thrust bearing 93 in the bearing or gudgeon plate 81. A plurality of threaded holes 95 are provided in the rear face of the block 79 to receive suitable fasteners. A threaded hole 97 receives a retainer screw therein in one side face of the block 79 to engage the pintle and secure it in any selected position.

The hearing or gudgeon plate 81 is generally rectangular in shape. One half of the block 81 is about twice as thick as the other half and in the thicker portion there is provided a bearing socket 101 adaptable to receive the thrust bearing 93. A suitable bearing for this purpose is that manufactured and sold by Nice-505 of Philadelphia, although, of course, others may be equally suitable.

In the thinner half of block 81 there are a plurality of threaded holes 103 adapted to receive fasteners to attach the bearing plate 81 to a threshold if desired. Also there are a plurality of other apertures 105, preferably countersunk, adaptable to receive fasteners to attach the plate 81 to the floor or other structure.

The installation of the mounting system is as follows. Adjacent the bottom of the door, FIGURE 1, the gud eon block 81 is secured to the bottom of the threshold or to the floor by suitable fasteners. The gudgeon is aligned axially with the position to be occupied by the pintle of the top hinge to form an axis of rotation for the door. Directly above the gudgeon plate, the pintle block 79 is secured to the bottom door rail with the pintle in the bearing of the gudgeon plate. The mortise block 13 is then attached to the lintel of the door adjacent the door jamb by suitable fasteners placed in the apertures 35. Immediately below the mortise block 13, the gudgeon block 17 is secured to the top door rail by suitable fasteners. The gudgeon block 17 is, of course, axially aligned with the mortise 31. Thereafter, the tenon block 15 is inserted into the mortise block and the pintle 57 in the bearing bushing 73.

The bottom pintle 85 is adjustable to set the clearance of the door at the top and bottom. A suitable instrument is inserted into one of the holes 89 in the head portion to rotate it. As the pintle turns, the door is raised or lowered. When the door is at proper elevation, the retainer screw in recess 97 may be tightened against the pintle, thereby securely locking it relative to the pintle block. The set screws in holes, such as hole 57, are then tightened to complete the installation.

Thus, it will be seen that, in the embodiment shown and described, the invention is characterized by mortise and tenon units acting cooperatively and engaging a gudgeon block on a door to form an upper hinge assembly, a gudgeon block supporting on a bearing therein an adjustable pintle extending from a pintle block on a door to form a lower hinge assembly.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mortise block, tenon block, and gudgeon block of the upper hinge are formed, preferably, from aluminum extrusions. The pintle 57 and set screw therefor are of steel and the bearing bushing is of brass or bronze. The gudgeon block and the pintle block of the lower hinge are formed, preferably, from aluminum extrusions. The adjustable pintle pin 85 and the retainer screw therefor are of steel, while the bearing 93 is of steel. Of course, other mate rials may be found more suitable and effectively used without limitation.

Having described the invention in connection with certain embodiments thereof, it is understood that further modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and it is intended to cover such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A top hinge for a door and frame which comprises:

(a) structure mounted on the face of said door and at the top thereof having a vertical cylindrical bear- (b) support structure including a shaft mating with said cylindrical bearing,

(c) a mounting plate secured to said frame including a slide-way structure in which said support structure is mounted to permit adjustment of the position of said pin in said cylindrical bearing, and

(d) a set screw extending into said slide-way to lock said support structure therein.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which said plate and said structure are of relatively soft extrusions with the bearing and pin secured therein to provide wearresistant bearing surfaces.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which said slide-way structure is in the form of dovetailed mating sections.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 842,668 1/1907 Huey 16151 1,079,763 11/1913 Henry 16-55 1,256,667 2/1918 Douglass 16151 X 1,719,638 7/1929 White 16151 2,248,372 7/1941 May 16-136 X 2,273,701 2/ 1942 Funke 248224 X 2,674,767 4/1954 Fairhurst 16l29 X 2,743,075 4/ 1956 Johnson 248224 2,987,755 6/1961 Ferguson 1615l 3,078,502 2/1963 Nelson l6151 X JOSEPH D. SEERS, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TOP HINGE FOR A DOOR AND FRAMWHICH COMPRISES: (A) A STRUCTURE MOUNTED ON THE FACE OF SAID DOOR AND AT THE TOP THEREOF HAVING A VERTICAL CYLINDRICAL BEARING, (B) SUPPORT STRUCTURE INCLUDING A SHAFT MATING WITH SAID CYLINDRICAL BEARING, (C) A MOUNTING PLATE SECURED TO SAID FRAME INCLUDING A SLIDE-WAY STRUCTURE IN WHICH SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE IS MOUNTED TO PERMIT ADJUSTMENT OF THE POSITION OF 